


Thirsty Thursdays

by Sakari



Category: Naruto
Genre: Coming of Age, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gay Character (Genma), Not Canon Compliant, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:41:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29097468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakari/pseuds/Sakari
Summary: Sakura becomes a Jonin, only the second in her academy year to achieve the elite rank. But if she thought achieving that exceptional status would suddenly give her exceptional clarity in life, she was sorely mistaken. Thankfully, she is welcomed into the ranks by other Jonin and invited to drinks every Thursday night. She quickly grows fond of her new goofball friends.She grows most fond of one silver haired shinobi.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue and the promise of eventual KakaSaku. The following chapters will be a retelling of Sakura's story, her development, and slice of (ninja) life.

I stepped up to the podium and tried to take a deep calming breath. Unfortunately, the air was drawn in as more of a gasp and out as more of a trembling gust. I gripped the edge of the podium and hoped the cameras wouldn’t pick up my trembling fingers as they broadcast the press conference around the world.

I’m sure I’ve faced certain death with less trepidation than I did now, at the prospect of public speaking and having my face displayed across millions of television screens.

A metallic glint caught my eye and I followed it to the senbon bobbing between Genma’s lips. He noticed me looking and sent me a smile, wiggling the sharp stick of metal to and fro in some semblance of a wave to me. Genma and my other Jonin friends stood along the wall at the back.

I looked next to him at Kakashi, who stood with arms crossed over the front of his bulky vest. He was one of the few dressed in uniform; Genma and the others had donned respectable civvies in the form of button up shirts, or in Kurenai and Anko’s case, plain conservative dresses. But I knew Kakashi was supposed to have left for a mission hours ago and had dawdled so he could be here. He would probably set out immediately after the press conference and I hoped to catch him before he left. I’d woken up before the crack of dawn, nerves not letting me sleep another wink, and had slipped out of our bed without bidding him good morning or good luck for his mission.

I hadn’t realized there had been applause, thought the sound had been the blood rushing between my ears, but now that it was tapering off the quiet that followed was even more nerve wracking.

“Good morning, Haruno-sensei,” the event’s moderator said. This was the first time I’d been called sensei outside the context of being a hospital doctor or a teacher to students. The moderator had meant it as a respectful nod to my newly recognized status as a researcher and scientist.

“Good morning,” I replied, speaking into the microphone like I’d been instructed earlier, thankful that my voice came out more even and composed than I expected.

“We are so pleased you could be here today on the one year anniversary of the Fourth Shinobi War to tell us all about the new technology you single-handedly created to save the world as we know it.”

I internally cringed at that but tried to keep the unpleasant expression off my face. “I’m really happy to be here but the war was won through the efforts and sacrifice of many shinobi, and I definitely had a lot of help in developing the chakra pill.”

“Yes, yes, we will definitely get to more detail on the development of the chakra pill later this morning,” the moderator said, playing off my comments as false modesty. My thoughts stumbled over the memory of Tsunade and my eyes snapped over to Kakashi standing at the back. He was looking on with a mildly detached expression but brightened when our eyes met. He gave me an encouraging lilt of his uncovered eyebrow and I could feel the warmth of the crooked smile he was sending me through his mask. “Now for those who aren’t already familiar with the chakra pill, can you explain this new technology to viewers?”

I nodded and centred myself over the microphone again. This was an answer Shizune and I had rehearsed. “The foundation of the chakra pill is similar to the soldier pill, which was invented two decades ago by Moriyama-sensei. Both pills allow shinobi to extend the duration of battle conditions.

“The soldier pill allowed shinobi to draw deeper into the reserves of their chakra than the human body is naturally able to do, and with the extra chakra they could access, shinobi were able to fight longer. However, drawing one's supply of chakra down to dangerously low levels leads to a condition called chakra exhaustion which requires weeks of bed rest to recover from, and completely depleting the entire supply of chakra can even result in death. Moreover, even with the soldier pill, the total amount of chakra available is limited to the depth of the shinobi’s personal reserves.

“The new chakra pill that the scientists at Konoha Medical Corporation developed is different in that the pill itself provides a concentrated dose of chakra, providing new and additional chakra to the shinobi. This means this new pill boosts the amount of chakra without subsequently experiencing chakra exhaustion.”

“Thank you, Haruno-sensei, for explaining the new chakra pill to us. Just a reminder for those watching live at home, questions for this press conference can be submitted to us online. We’ve just received our first question,” the moderator said with a happy wave of the electronic device in her hand. “Haruno-sensei, viewers at home are wondering if you could explain: what is chakra?”

“O-oh yes, of course,” I said, feeling a little flustered that I had forgotten the majority of the audience were civilians. “Chakra is spiritual and physical life energy, which can be found in all living beings, including humans, animals, and even plants. By training to build up chakra reserves and learning how to control chakra, ninja are able to use chakra to perform feats that otherwise would not be possible.”

One of the members of the press in attendance lifted his hand and was called upon by the moderator to ask his question. “Haruno-sensei, can you give us an example or demonstration of what you mean by feats that can only be performed by using chakra?”

“Uh…” The vast number of jutsu that came to mind was enough to send my mind reeling. Realizing that a mud wall or a chakra-enhanced punch to split the podium into two would be too destructive and would definitely throw my press conference into chaos, I settled on gathering a bit of chakra on a fingertip and touching it to a sheet of paper on the podium in front of me. I lifted my hand and showed the audience how the paper remained stuck to my finger no matter how hard I shook my hand. The audience oooh-ed at the little party trick and I think my smile came out as more of a grimace as I set the paper back down. I glanced over to the back of the room to see Genma and Kakashi with their heads bent over together, laughing quietly.

“We’ve received another question online for Haruno-sensei. Yoru, who is five-years-old and from the Land of Hills, wonders how you first got the idea.”

Shizune and I had, of course, also prepared for this question but I still couldn’t contain the blush that spread across my face. I thought of Kakashi, what now felt like years of foreplay, and all the ‘donations’ he had made for the sake of my scientific research. I looked back toward him again, and his eye contained an amused twinkle.

I firmly pushed the racy thoughts of Kakashi out of my head by reminding myself that I was responding to a five-year-old child. I recalled the prepared response Shizune and I had come up with instead. 

“Thank you for your question, Yoru-chan,” I said. “In order to become a medical-ninja, I had to complete a four-year training program. As part of that program, I worked in Konoha Hospital’s emergency clinic where I saw many interesting cases relating to chakra and chakra exhaustion. The previous treatment for chakra exhaustion was several weeks of bed rest - after the body experienced such stress, it took a long time for it to be able to produce chakra again, and then even more time for it to produce enough that symptoms such as weakness, dizziness and nausea would go away. I wondered if there was a way for one healthy ninja who had an ample supply of chakra to donate chakra to another ninja whose body was still in too much shock to produce its own chakra. Similar to blood transfusions and blood donations.”

I looked back to my very first ‘donor’ again. Kakashi still had his arms crossed and his face returned to his usual impassive expression again, but his eye still contained warmth for me.

Kakashi watched the rest of the hour-long press conference, watching as the love of his life danced politely around questions, downplaying her own genius and contributions to the war. It was like she didn’t realize how incredible she truly was. When the event concluded, Kakashi slipped out the back door with the rest of the group and milled about the alleyway next to the convention centre. He was just bidding goodbye to the group, about to set out on his mission when the back door slammed open with a bang and Sakura stood there looking ruffled.

“Oh good, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to catch you before you left!” she said, bounding up to him. “What did you think? How was I?” she asked, anxious eyes seeking out his, looking for his approval.

Kakashi wondered why she still cared for his approval. Couldn’t she see that she had already surpassed him in every way long ago? She was stronger, smarter and so much better than he’d ever been. Still, she looked to him and he wanted to put her at ease. “You were perfect.” Her bright smile at his genuine compliment made him smile back.

“Thanks for coming. I won’t keep you, I know you have to go,” she said.

Kakashi indeed was already hours behind schedule but continued to look at her, expectantly.

She blushed and glanced around at their friends who were milling about and engaged in their own light conversations, before taking a half-step to close their distance, raising up on her tippy toes so she could offer him a kiss. Kakashi pulled his mask down to his chin and leaned down the rest of the way to meet her lips with his, before straightening and replacing the mask over his face.

“Twelve more,” she said, with a soft smile, continuing her countdown from one hundred that she’d started over a year ago.

Kakashi wasn’t sure what they’d do after they reached zero - would she stop giving him good luck kisses every time he left? He hoped not, because the chaste pecks always spread a happiness that would keep him warm for at least the first leg of his trip, until it was replaced with his yearning to be home and by her side for the remainder of his mission.

Anko cooed and Raido jokingly retched at their public display. Kakashi gave the group a parting wave and leapt to the nearest rooftops. He started making his way toward the main gates to the fading voices of Sakura and his closest friends as she thanked them for their support. 

Genma pulled me into a snug hug while Raido ruffled my hair.

“You were just amazing,” Anko gushed.

“Yes, good job, Sakura,” Kurenai said. “Asuma stayed home with Mirai so I could come but it’s my turn to watch her tonight, so he’ll see you at Juuken. You’ll be there, right?” It was Thursday, and Thursdays was the group’s usual pub night at Juuken Bar.

“Yes of course,” I said, grinning at the group. “Really, thank you guys for coming. I was so nervous but seeing you all there helped.”

Aoba rolled his eyes. “I think you only had eyes for Kakashi.”

“Not true!” I protested. “Especially not after you all dolled up for it. You’re looking particularly handsome today.” Aoba had forgone his usual sunglasses, Genma had taken off his bandanna, and they had both made an effort to style their hair. “After you’ve put in all this effort to look so nice, it’d be such a waste if we don’t hit up Shichirin.”

Anko cheered in agreement, looking forward to hitting up their favourite nightclub after the bar.

“I think I have to head back in to answer a few questions for the reporters. I only managed to escape so I could see Kakashi before he left.”

“-Hah! See, what’d I tell you all. Only eyes for one fellow-”

“But see you tonight!” I said loudly, over Aoba’s joking complaints. The group bid their goodbyes and I slipped back into the building to throw myself back to the hungry reporters.

After we wrapped up all the press activity, Shizune sent me home with a sincere “good job”.

I cracked open the front door just wide enough for me to slip into our apartment, in case the cat decided that today was the day he’d make for a mad dash out the door. Of course he didn’t, though. Lazy Bones, true to his namesake, was sprawled over the back of the couch and could only be bothered to roll his head in the direction of the door to peer over at me through his one good eye.

I toed off my shoes and made my way over to the cat. The purring that amped up as I approached made me smile. When I reached out a hand to pet him, he lifted his nose to give my fingertips an appraising sniff before his head lolled back to resume his previous position as a boneless pile of cat before I’d interrupted his late-afternoon nap with my appearance.

Not for the first time I wondered what Lazy Bones’ backstory was. After a year of living with her, his dark gray coat had grown back in dense and healthy, and he was now looking like a very handsome Russian Blue cat. When he’d first broken into the apartment, he had looked scrappy, dirty and wild. He had probably been somebody’s pet cat before though, because he’d warmed up to me and Kakashi eventually (though Kakashi still hadn’t quite warmed up to the cat yet), but no one had come to claim him even after I put up notices and asked around. I couldn’t help but be a little bit glad that no one had come forth to take Lazy Bones away, though. As fastidious and fussy as he was, I was eternally grateful that he had come into my life when he did.

I pressed a kiss to the soft warm fur at his chest and asked, “Do you want dinner?”

Lazy Bones opened his eyes to peer back at me with peaked interest.

“Is it dinner time? Do you want chicken?” I said, saying the magic words (dinner, food, chicken) that he just couldn’t resist. The promise of food was too tempting for even Lazy Bones to snooze through; with a quick twist of his body, he hopped deftly up on all fours. I kissed the top of his head, and he licked his chops as if to say ‘stop dawdling, human’.

He followed me, hopping lightly from the couch, to the floor, barstool, and eventually up to the countertop, where he sat still, watching me set out his meal. I grabbed the refrigerated container of food I’d prepared for him earlier in the week, scooping out one meal’s worth out to warm up. While it was coming to temperature in the microwave, my thoughts strayed to Kakashi.

A couple days ago, when I was preparing this batch of cat food, Kakashi had commented in an uncharacteristically sulky voice that I made food for Lazy Bones but not for him. 

“Doesn’t everyone else just shake some kibbles into a bowl and call it a day?” he said, watching me measure out all of the cat food supplements and vitamins. I pulled out the chicken offal and meat out of the fridge.

“I tried kibble and the canned stuff but he won’t eat it. Lazy Bones is a special cat - he only likes the good stuff,” I said, petting said cat. Lazy Bones meowed as if he knew I was speaking about him.

Kakashi huffed. “You spend so much time making his food and half of our freezer is now permanently occupied with cat food. You say you don’t know how to cook and I’m fine to do all the cooking but…” He side-eyed the paper on the counter, containing the various recipes I’d written out for Lazy Bones’ different meals (there were chicken, fish, and turkey variations).

“Kakashi, are you jealous? Of a cat?” I asked, a little bemused. “And this doesn’t count as cooking - it’s just chopping and mixing raw meat.”

“I’m not jealous,” he denied but I didn’t quite believe him. “Maybe I’m just worried you’ve gone and replaced me with a cat. You’re always saying how he looks just like me.”

“He does look like you,” I said with a giggle. “Look at him,” I crooned, placing both hands on Lazy Bones’ cheeks and squishing his face a little. Both males - one silver-haired human, one grey-furred feline - gave me one-eyed, unimpressed looks. “Poor Lazy Bones must have lost his eye in a fight too. Don’t worry, you’re safe here and your human mommy loves you very much.”

Lazy Bones squinted his blind, milky white eye shut when I leaned in to smooch him over the old injury. 

I turned to Kakashi. “Maybe if you think of him less like your competition and more like your feline son, you’ll find him more likeable.” I shuffled to Kakashi’s side and looped an arm around the crook of his elbow, dragging him closer to the counter where Lazy Bones sat on his haunches. “He kind of takes after your colouring and your one-eyed-ness. He also loves cat naps, and hates unhealthy food. He’s pretty much a miniature cat you.”

Kakashi looked wholly unconvinced.

“Come on Kashi, of course I love you most but I love him too. It was really hard when you were gone. I cried every day and until he showed up one day and…” I choked up, unable to finish the thought. The memory of being alone was still too fresh.

Lazy Bones meowed in protest of my change in mood and stalked to the edge of the counter to sit closer. He then licked his chops to remind me he was _starving_ and it made me smile. I cooed that he was a good boy and pet his head. 

Kakashi watched the exchange silently and though he couldn’t say he was pleased with cohabiting with a cat, he begrudgingly came to terms with it. He sighed and reached out a hand to the cat.

Lazy Bones’ purring at my head scratches came to an abrupt stop as he eyed the new hand being stretched his way. Both cat and man eyed each other warily and sized the other up in a still silence. And then Lazy Bones blinked and gently bumped Kakashi’s fingertips with his nose, before returning back to my hand, nuzzling his head against my palm to ask for more scratches.

Later that night, after cat and humans had all eaten supper, Kakashi was stretched out on his usual spot on the U-shaped couch, with his head in my lap. I was watching the latest episode of a television drama Ino had introduced me to and Kakashi was enjoying the feeling of my fingers dragging lightly across his scalp, when Lazy Bones approached the television console. The cat sat back on his haunches, looking up at the monstrosity of a flat screen TV like a challenge.

“Nuh-!” I chided, trying to deter the cat from doing what I guessed he was about to do. Lazy Bones ignored me and took a powerful leap off the ground, landing on all fours atop of the TV.

Both Kakashi and I had stiffened, and for a precarious moment, wondered if the TV was about to smash to the ground. But the thin screen barely wobbled as the cat balanced atop of the skinny edge of the flat screen. Lazy Bones looked around the apartment from this new vantage point, and then gracefully catwalked across the length of the TV. When he reached the end of the line he hopped off delicately, landed silently, and then casually sauntered off to find something else more entertaining to occupy his time with.

I peered down into Kakashi’s face to check his reaction. Kakashi owned a lot of nice and expensive electronics, but never struck me as being overly attached to any of them. I just hoped he wasn’t looking for any decent excuse to kick my feline companion back out onto the streets.

Kakashi looked thoughtful, but thankfully not upset. “He’s quite nimble and stealthy, isn’t he? I guess he takes after his shinobi parents…” A happy gasp escaped my lips and I quickly tried to check my reaction, feeling like it would serve me best to just play it cool. “Though I think he has _your_ eyes,” Kakashi said, referring to Lazy Bones’ brilliant green eye, before he snuggled back into the couch and nudged at my hand to resume its ministrations in his hair. I smiled at how similar that gesture was to Lazy Bones’ when I stopped petting him before he was satisfied.

The beeping of the microwave pulled me out of my thoughts. I stirred the food and checked the temperature with a finger before setting it down on Lazy Bones’ placemat on the floor for him to eat. I figured I should also eat if I wanted to make it out to the bar to meet the gang. I pulled open the fridge to put the container of cat food back and looked around for human food.

I smiled at the three plates of food Kakashi had plastic wrapped and set aside for me. I pulled one out and heated it up in the fridge, feeling only a little silly that my food was being prepared in the exact same manner as the cat’s food. I watched Lazy Bone chew and crunch happily. He looked up at me with one bright green eye and one milky white one, pausing to lick the little bit of meat stuck to his muzzle, before he returned to his chicken dinner.

The microwave beeped again and I pulled out the steaming plate for myself. It was still difficult to be alone when Kakashi left for missions but the smell of his cooking reminded me of his love and made me feel a little less lonely, so I happily tucked in, thinking that his meal of chicken, rice, and vegetables would be great at soaking up all the booze I planned on consuming at Juuken later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to emphasize this is not canon or timeline compliant. If you are enjoying this so far and want to continue reading, please kindly forgive how I plucked random elements of the Naruto universe that I liked and ignored all the rest.
> 
> Also, please accept my confession and apology that I have not even read/watched the whole Naruto series, hence I am not even aware of what the canon-universe consists of, heh... 
> 
> I even did the unforgiveable and fudged the KakaSaku age gap to make it work better for me. My Kakashi is about 12 years older than Sakura.
> 
> I don't have a beta reader and so appreciate anyone's feedback. Are the first person/third person switches confusing to read?
> 
> And if you're still with me, thank you for making it to the bottom of my notes/apologies :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote "Haruno-sensei" a lot in Chapter 1 so I wanted to clarify for anyone who might be unfamiliar: the title -sensei is used for a variety of professions, including doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc.

I pulled open the rickety wooden door of the bar and as soon as I appeared in the doorway, cheers erupted from our usual table. The other patrons all swiveled their heads to look at the ruckus, some seeming to recognize me from the television broadcast from a few hours ago. I ran over to the booth and slid in next to Genma, ducking my head shyly and wishing the partitions between the tables were taller to hide me better from curious eyes.

Asuma smiled warmly at me but Gai, who did not share Asuma’s reserved temperament, shouted his loud greetings across the table at me, his booming voice reverberating throughout the room. “Sweet young flower, how you have blossomed!” Tears sprung to his eyes and spilled down his face, and he lurched over the table to grasp both my hands in his. “Your vivaciousness is even more inspiring in person than on the television screen!”

“Oh yes that’s right… Asuma, Gai - you saw the broadcast on the TV? How was it?” I asked nervously, wondering how my trembling fingers and huge forehead came across on the digital screen.

“Marvelous!” came Gai’s enthusiastic answer. “You are an inspiration to all the youth of Konoha! My students watched while doing push ups. By the end they were crying with unbridled emotion!” I have a feeling his three new Genin students had likely been in tears from the hour-long session of push ups he’d forced upon them.

“You looked lovely,” was Asuma’s more measured response. “I recorded it for you, in case you wanted a copy.” He slid a little memory stick across the table to me. I thanked him and tucked it into my pocket, thinking that it would probably take me several years to muster up the courage to watch the replay but that it would be nice to have when I finally felt up to it.

“I liked your little display of… what did they call it? Incredible feats?” Raido touched his fingertip to the square paper napkin on the table in front of him and repeated my party trick for the media. 

Genma cackled. “It was  _ very _ impressive. Your Genin sensei was proud you hadn’t forgotten all his Ninja 101 lessons,” he teased, reminding me of how the two had been laughing while I had been a bundle of nerves and sweating bullets. Speaking of Kakashi…

The rickety wooden door creaked as it opened again and I glanced over to see a civilian couple walk in.

I thought back to how I had been sitting in this exact same spot, looking at that exact same door, when I’d seen him walk into the bar ten years ago as not my sensei but, for the first time, my friend. Who knew one day he’d become my best friend and more.

**_Ten years ago…_ **

The first time I had been invited to Thirsty Thursday was the week after I had been promoted to Jonin. Luckily, I had turned eighteen earlier that year and could actually legally drink. After I handed in my first solo A-rank mission, I bumped into Genma Shiranui on my way out of the Hokage Tower. He congratulated me on my promotion and extended an invitation to come out for drinks on Thursday since we were peers now. I felt slightly apprehensive but didn’t want to alienate myself from my new Jonin peers right off the bat. 

And with my closest friends out of the village, I _ had _ been feeling rather lonely.

I had really worked my ass off (and had my ass handed to me too many times to count by Tsunade-shishou) for the promotion. The climb to the top had taken blood, sweat and tears, and I had been proud to be only the second in my academy year to achieve the rank, second only to Shikamaru Nara.

But I hadn’t expected how lonely it would feel at the top.

First, unlike Genin or Chunin promotions that happened in groups of ninja, being promoted to Jonin was a rather quiet and anticlimactic affair. When I had graduated from the academy and became a Genin, I celebrated with a large group of other rookies over barbecue at Yakiniku Q. When I made Chunin rank, I went out for a night of underage drinking and dancing with a small handful of other newly promoted ninja, including Ino and Kiba; the bouncer had eyed us suspiciously but then waved us into the club that was frequently visited by underage Leaf ninja with a softly muttered “congratulations”.

Unlike those boisterous affairs, my promotion to Jonin was in the form of a perfunctory congratulations standing before the Hokage’s desk. The prize was an A-rank solo mission that paid well. I spent that lonely night packing for my mission because all my friends were away on their respective  _ team  _ missions. My mom nagged about being worried I was going out on the field solo mission - on my own, with no team to support me should things go south - but it was something she’d have come to terms with quickly because… 

Second, while the ranks of Genin and Chunin were large - together the ranks comprised of over a thousand Leaf ninja - there were only thirteen known Jonin, now fourteen including the newly minted Sakura Haruno. (The number of Jonin belonging to classified groups like ANBU and Root was unknown.)

With such a small handful of Jonin it meant that most missions were solo; there just weren’t enough Jonin for all missions to be taken in three or four-man squads unless it was exceptionally difficult, but those missions were typically S-rank and rare. Having just been promoted into my new rank I was way too green to be considered for any of them.

So when Genma invited me to drinks, I hesitated only for a moment before agreeing. He gave me the name of a bar I had never heard of before, said it was in the civilian district, which I thought was peculiar, and then continued on his way.

When Thursday rolled around I had been nervous all day. Although I generally had a favourable opinion of Genma, I’d only ever interacted with the man in official capacities (usually in the context where he gave orders and I obeyed). But of the thirteen other Konoha Jonin, he was probably the one of the few that were relatively close to me in age. I really could use more friends, and even better if they knew the ins-and-outs of being a Jonin already. Given there was no official onboarding program for Jonin, I stumbled around in my first week with no one to ask my basic questions to besides my shishou who had an impressively short fuse, and Ino’s dad who had unfortunately made the rank so long ago that he couldn’t recall most of the details a newly promoted Jonin needed to know.

I was a bundle of nerves during my Thursday shift in the hospital clinic and then spent a considerable amount of time debating what to wear afterwards (despite being one of the Jonin that were relatively close to me in age, Genma was still over a decade older and I didn’t want to seem too young or immature, but I also didn’t want to come off as very uptight). I ended up borrowing a floral top from my mom’s closet when I realized I didn’t own anything in the gaps between slutty club wear, ratty t-shirts and formal work clothes.

When I arrived outside the civilian bar I double checked the name etched into the wooden sign above the doorway - Juuken Bar - before pushing open the rickety door. I easily spotted Genma but was surprised to find more than one recognizable shinobi face already seated at a booth.

“Glad you could make it, Sakura,” Genma greeted, waving me over and scooching further along the padded bench to make room for me to sit.

“Um- Good evening, Genma-san, Raido-san, Anko-san,” I greeted politely once I got close enough to the table.

“Ah, Sakura,” Genma said, waving my nervous greetings off, “we’re a pretty laid back bunch. We pretty much have only one rule at Thirsty Thursdays: no titles, no honorifics, no rank bullshit. Feel free to just call us by name.”

“Come sit! We don’t bite,” Anko said cheerfully.

I slid into the spot vacated by Genma and smiled tentatively to the three other Jonin around the table. My eyes lingered on Raido Namiashi; he had a strict and frightening reputation amongst those in my academy year. He had a large grotesque scar stretched across his face and was known to be Konoha’s most elite assassin. And I heard he made Hinata cry once.

But then Raido grinned (he had a friendly-looking smile), leaned close to Anko’s ear and joked in a low, suggestive voice, “ _ You  _ bite sometimes.”

Anko graced him to a coy look before turning back to look at me across the table. “Let’s get you a drink. We take turns with the monthly tab and this month’s on Raido, so please drink to your heart’s content.”

The server came over and I became flustered. My underage drinking escapades with Ino had mostly been coolers and cocktails, and the rustic bar didn’t seem like they would carry girlie fruity drinks. “Um… anything- do you have any recommendations?” I mumbled, embarrassed that I didn’t know what drink to order.

Anko cheerfully piped up. “How about umeshu?” she suggested, and I quickly nodded my agreement despite having never even heard of the drink before. Anko ordered a bottle, saying it was her favourite.

The server returned with the ordered bottle and Anko excitedly pawned off the sake she had been nursing on Raido and poured two fresh glasses of umeshu for us. “Thank you,” I said, feeling shy and awkward about letting my senpai pour my drink (pretty sure dad would tsk at my display of poor manners), but accepted it graciously when she nudged it across the table to me. Taking a sip of the amber liquid, I was surprised that it was gently sweet and fruity. “This is really nice!”

Anko grinned. “Hooray! Finally, someone to share the bottle with me. The boys are always making fun of my sweet tooth,” she said, rolling her eyes. If ‘the boys’ made fun of Anko for drinking umeshu, I was relieved I hadn’t childishly asked the server if they served Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

I found the company of my new Jonin friends friendly and comfortable. They were surprisingly candid and told funny stories about their week that sometimes even featured people I knew. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever sat around telling embarrassing stories featuring me but quickly shook that self-conscious thought away. Any stories would have been about the Sakura of the past, anyway. The grown up version of me no longer tripped over my own feet and pined after unavailable boys.

Raido entertained us with a story about how he’d accidentally touched the Hokage’s side boob earlier in the week. “I swear, my hand was just there and  _ she _ leaned against me! Technically, her boob touched my hand.”

Anko chattered excitedly about the new seasonal dango flavours Madame Yee’s Dessert House had just released for the official start of summer.

Genma’s story surprised me. Apparently two Root agents had shown up at his window in the middle of the night to summon him (it was probably for something confidential, since he’d glossed over those details) and he almost thought he was having a lucid wet dream. “Those little tight shirts should be made illegal.  _ Or  _ better yet, they should make those standard issue for the regular forces too,” he said with a dreamy look on his face. 

Based on my previous impression of him and what I’d heard people say about him, I would have never guessed that Genma was gay - he had seemed like a very straight man, and women seemed to be attracted to his good looks and confident competence.

Raido cracked up laughing at a sudden thought. At the group’s curious look, he cryptically said, “Who do we know that was in Root, hm?”

My mind immediately went to Sai. And yeah, the standard issue Root uniform was indeed quite… interesting. Anko and Genma’s face also brightened with sudden realization, but I didn’t think we knew the same Root members.

Anko laughed loudly, almost wheezing at the mental image she was seeing. “Can you imagine  _ him  _ wearing _ - _ ”

Genma let out a thoughtful hum, and then grinned, his smile looking a tad lewd.

I couldn’t ask who they were talking about though - Root membership was confidential and on a strict need-to-know basis; I also didn’t offer names of Root or ex-Root members that I knew.

When the hour became late, Anko suggested going to Shichirin, a night club also located in the civilian district, just half a block away from Juuken Bar. Apparently, it was a bit seedy but played good music, and was apparently the Jonin group’s club of choice. I’d known of the club’s existence but it wasn’t popular with my friends. Then I realized it probably made sense that they would prefer to hang out at places that I- and others in the lower ranks- didn’t frequent. Bumping into your team commander, teacher, or student at a club would probably be incredibly awkward.

I didn’t want to be a party pooper but it was getting quite late and I had work in the morning. Thankfully, before I could speak up, Raido chimed up first.

“I’ve got an early morning meeting with the Hokage, so pass for me.”

“You got an appointment with more side boob?” Genma teased and the group laughed again at Raido’s expense.

“Um, I have work in the morning too,” I added. Thankfully, unlike Ino, Naruto or my other friends that would have complained that I had a stick up my ass, this group didn’t make a big deal out of it.

Everyone just nodded in understanding. “I’ll walk you home,” Raido offered.

I thought it seemed a bit old fashioned but I didn’t want to offend him by calling him old, so I graciously accepted.

The night air was much more refreshing than the hot summer day time. Stepping out from the bar, Genma and Anko went to Shichirin after Genma mock-solemnly promised he would see to it that Anko got home safely and most certainly would not let her bed anyone below an 8. I glanced between Anko and Raido, wondering what the nature of their relationship was. Raido didn’t look upset though and bid them goodnight.

“So where are we walking to? Where abouts do you live?” Raido asked.

“Not too far from here, actually. Just two wards away.”

“In the civilian district?” he said, surprised.

“Yeah, um, my parents are civilians.” I blushed, feeling embarrassed to admit that I lived with my parents but Raido simply nodded and started walking us in the general direction of my parents’ ward.

I was surprised to find that I was more buzzed than I realized - umeshu seemed to be much stronger than artificially-coloured coolers. I found myself stumbling over unexpected pebbles and bumping into Raido a couple of times. He remained steady on his feet despite easily consuming twice the amount of alcohol. He joked that I would be sure to build up my alcohol tolerance if I came out to enough Thirsty Thursdays.

I had thought Genma’s invitation was a one time thing, but when we arrived in front of my house Raido bid me goodnight with a “See you next week?”

The flutter of the curtain in the living room caught my eye and I glanced over just in time to see my mom pulling away from the window. Moments later the front door unlocked and mom poked her head out, tentatively calling out my name. She looked warily at Raido, and I knew what she was thinking because just earlier that day I had been almost as apprehensive about his presence as my mom. The street lamps cast harsh shadows across his gnarled face and my mom looked concerned about the dubious-looking company I was keeping.

But when I looked back up at him I recalled the sheepish grin over his face as he told the group that belly-busting story about how he’d touched Tsunade’s boob and had even blushed pink when Genma loudly voiced his suspicion about it being an accident. I found it hard to be scared of the man in light of that memory.

I smiled brightly. “Yeah, see you next week! Thanks for walking me home.”

He nodded and waved politely at my mom before walking away.

The following week, I made my way over to Juuken Bar after dinner again. I felt a little apprehensive showing up again- Raido had made it sound like it was a given I would be welcome again, but I didn’t know if the rest of the group thought the same way.

My anxiety increased triple fold when I stepped into the bar and realized that I wouldn’t actually be welcomed back by Raido or any of the others this week. In place of Genma, Raido and Anko, who apparently had been sent out on various missions, I was met with a whole group of different faces in the booth. I nearly backed out the door and fled the pub, but Kurenai noticed my entrance and waved me over.

“Hi Kurenai, Asuma, Aoba, Gai,” I greeted, forcing just their names-and nothing but-out of my mouth.

Aoba and Gai moved further into the booth to make room for me. I sat down next to Gai and couldn’t help but stare at the man, for it was the first time I’d seen him not wearing skin-tight green. Somehow, the loose white t-shirt he donned today, with the faded print of some rock band’s album cover on the front, made the muscles in his arms look even bigger. He flashed me a very familiar, blinding-white smile though, and I returned his gigawatt smile with my own ten watt one.

“I was hoping you’d show up,” Kurenai said. “I was just telling Asuma that he should really quit smoking if we’re to try for a baby. You’re a medic - tell him.” My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I looked between the older man and woman across the table from me; both had been teachers to Genin from my academy year. I hadn’t realized they were so close - in front of the Genin, they had acted nothing but professional; distant and indifferent, even.

But at Thirsty Thursday, they didn’t treat me like an ex-Genin student. Kurenai spoke to me like a friend and for my professional medical opinion. After another night of delicious plum wine and friendly conversation, I found this Thursday’s bunch to be just as warm and welcoming as last week’s group.

I discovered that the Thirsty Thursday company varied from week-to-week, depending on who was in the village, and as the weeks rolled along and the seasons changed I became familiar with the usual roster of Jonin that normally showed up to Thirsty Thursday. It was mostly other ninja who were relatively younger and, thankfully, the Jonin from Mr. Yamanaka’s age bracket didn’t seem interested in partaking in the weekly bar nights (I didn’t know how I’d feel about drinking and talking about babies and sex in Ino’s dad’s presence).

After staying a comfortable length of time at Juuken, the group always enjoyed post-bar festivities. These varied from week-to-week as well - going to Shichirin seemed to be a fan favourite, but the group often hung out at each others’ homes afterwards too. At first, I hadn’t joined them for the after-Juuken affairs, not wanting to stay out too late when I had to show up bright and early to work the next day. But I found I really enjoyed their company and if they were just going to someone’s apartment to lounge around for an hour or two longer, I sometimes stayed a little longer just to hang out.

Summer gave way to fall, and then fall turned into winter, and Thursday drinks became a constant that I came to look forward to every week.

It was two months after Christmas and eight months since I had first been invited to join this rag-tag group that I saw the man who I should no longer call my sensei- at least not on Thursdays- walk into Juuken and step right into my life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty PWP... Maybe it serves the purpose a little bit to lay the groundwork and introduce Kakashi's character?

It was a snowy Thursday in the middle of February. Once again, I was surrounded by the friendly company of my Jonin friends at Juuken Bar. Aoba was reenacting a dramatic moment in Tsunade’s office earlier that week and imitating the way she had screamed abuse and threw a stapler at Raido’s head.

I turned my head into my hand to stifle my rather unladylike snort of laughter and just happened to be facing in the direction of the door when it creaked open to reveal a familiar figure slipping in and shutting the door firmly behind him, cutting off the nippy wind that gusted in around him.

I stared as he stomped lightly on the doormat to knock off the snow that had accumulated under his boots. My eyes recognized him immediately but a few key missing pieces to his constant uniform stalled my brain just for a moment. 

Over the span of my entire career from Genin to Jonin, he had always looked exactly the same. I’d gotten quite good at recognizing the bulky, rectangular silhouette that his standard issue vest gave him, topped by a crop of distinct silver hair; I could confidently pick him out of the peripheral of my eye, even in the thick of battle.

But for Thirsty Thursday, he had traded in his flak jacket for a soft heather grey sweater, revealing that there was indeed a human-shaped figure underneath the thick layers of uniform. The forgone Leaf headband allowed his hair to fall messily over his forehead and I realized his hair didn’t naturally defy gravity; after several years of working with the impossibly gifted Jonin that seemed to defy all boundaries of physics, I’d just assumed his hair did too.

But for all the pieces that were missing, the pieces that remained - the ever present mask, the distinct scar bisecting the left eye, and the familiar casual gesture he made in lieu of a proper wave - were enough for me to identify him immediately, even if the others didn’t jubilantly shout his name once they took notice of his entrance.

“Kakashi!”

“Ha! The fucker lives.”

I echoed everyone’s greetings as he approached our table, saying “Hi Kakashi” and swallowing the  _ -sensei _ that wanted to follow immediately.

“Well aren’t you guys a sight for sore eye?” he said dryly, one grey eye twinkling with a warm smile. The other was pressed firmly closed to conceal his Sharingan.

“And you look like shit,” Genma replied bluntly while hip checking Aoba further into the booth to make room for Kakashi. I quietly assessed him as well, but perhaps seeing Kakashi dressed in civilian wear was just too foreign to me and it felt like I had no other baseline to compare to; I couldn’t pick out anything wrong with him though the rest of the booth’s occupants all frowned at his appearance, concerned.

Kakashi waved off Genma’s invitation to sit. “Sorry, I’m not staying. Just passing by and thought I’d drop in to say hi.”

“Kurenai has been worried sick about you. She and Asuma just went away on a little couples retreat; she’s going to be so upset that she missed you,” Raido said.

Kakashi nodded. “Well, I’ll probably be around for a while. I’m sure I’ll catch her around sometime. Anyway, I’ve got to check into medical now. See you next week if you’re around,” he said, sending the table another warm smile and lazy wave before turning and walking back out the door again.

He was in and out before my brain could even recover from the unexpected sight of him out of uniform. Before today I would have been willing to bet that Kakashi didn’t even own regular clothes but he clearly did and I was almost impressed by how well he coordinated his monochromatic outfit. I mentally snorted at the idea of Kakashi humming and hawing in front of his wardrobe as he matched his clothes.

Slipping out of the bar, Kakashi thought about the list of things he still had to take care of before he could fall face first into his own bed, which he hadn’t seen for ten months. He had only made it back to the village early that morning from his disastrous mission. The guards at the gate had looked shocked at his appearance. The Chunin on gate duty stammered that they had to take him into custody as he’d been flagged as MIA and before the young ninja could fearfully shit himself at the idea of trying to detain him, the Copy Ninja, he held out his hands for them to place chakra cuffs on him and willingly submitted himself to the Torture and Interrogation division.

He wasn’t surprised by the thorough investigation T&I conducted to confirm his identity - he was familiar with the protocol - but he still wasn’t pleased by the fourteen-hour-long invasion into his mind. He had finally been released with instructions to check in with medical and submit his mission report.

Already, he’d deviated from those orders, having stopped by home first for a much needed shower. He wasn't sure who was being tortured more during his long stay at T&I: him, with them intrusively searching through his mind; or them, forced to be confined in a room with the stench of his unwashed body and clothes.

When he finally dropped off his gear by the front door and stepped in front of his bathroom mirror, he was taken aback by his reflection - no wonder the guards had looked so shocked at the sight of him. His dirty hair looked five shades darker, caked in dust and dirt, and despite the fact that he had taken a brief stop to wash off in a lake, it looked like he missed a number of spots as rusty brown stains of dried blood still streaked down his face. The key word about his dip in the freezing lake was  _ brief _ .

He had been captured and tortured for nearly two months and after he’d finally managed to get away, he’d set a relentless pace to get away from his captors as quickly as possible. But half way home he’d worried about the scent of his trail being too strong (laundry and shower had definitely not been an amenity offered in the hell hole he had been strung up in), and he’d paused briefly as he neared a lake to take a quick break to rinse off. Not knowing how long it would take for the enemy to notice he was missing or how close they were on his heels, he had quickly stripped, tossing his clothes up on a branch to keep them off the snowy ground and then jumped unceremoniously into the lake. His body protested the freezing temperatures of the water and he worked quickly to scrub at his body before clambouring back up onto the snow banks and pulling his clothes back over his shivering body.

Clearly he hadn’t done such a great job cleaning himself in the lake and the weeks of torture had taken its toll on him, because the reflection that stared back at him looked more haggard and worn out than he’d ever seen before. After showering himself from head-to-toe three times until the suds ran clean and then shaving the growth of facial hair that had been irritating him under his mask, he inspected his reflection again. Much better.

A glance at his clock had him deviating further from his orders. It was getting late and restaurants would be closing soon, and he was  _ hungry _ . Afterall, he hadn’t eaten properly in the nearly two months since his capture. He’d decided to try to grab a quick bite and then stop in at Juuken to say hi to his friends on his way back, since it happened to be Thursday.

He pulled on a fresh set of clothes - a plain sweater and trousers, appropriate for visiting a civilian restaurant and civilian bar - and made his way over to the local oden stand across the street from his apartment building. The gruff man that owned the stand handed him a disposable cup filled with warm savoury broth and three sticks of fishcakes after Kakashi dropped the proper number of coins in the payment basket.

Kakashi stepped into a narrow alleyway and tugged down his mask to tear into his light, but delicious smelling meal. He’d wolfed down two of the fishcakes and was just about to pick the third stick when his stomach revolted. The food came back up forcefully, and he had just enough time to double over to avoid getting regurgitated oden down the front of his shirt. His stomach clenched painfully and he now recognized them as pangs of starvation and not hunger. Fuck. 

He eyed the broth at the bottom of the cup, thinking it smelled tantalizing but didn’t want to take another chance with his uncooperative stomach so he tossed the cup and his unfinished food in the nearest rubbish bin. It was unfortunately not his first run in with the dangers and symptoms of starvation, and he knew he should see a medic sooner rather than later. But first, Juuken was just another half a block down the street and he would keep his visit brief.

It was nice to see the small group of them gathered at the bar, and comforting to know that some things, like Thirsty Thursdays, wouldn’t change no matter how long his missions kept him away from home. He hadn’t been surprised to see Raido, Genma and Aoba, but the pink haired kunoichi was an unexpected, but not unwelcome, addition. Really, he should have expected it. Her training, even by the time he’d set out for his mission ten months ago, had already been yielding impressive results. If he hadn’t been kept away for this long, he might have even been one of the Jonin to recommend her for promotion.

Unfortunately, the twisting in his stomach reminded him it wasn’t the time to stay and chat, so with a perfunctory greeting and goodbye, he turned and exited the bar. Hopefully there will be plenty of time next Thursday and many Thursdays after for congratulations and catching up. With the condition of his body, he doubted he'd be sent on any missions for a while.

He slipped his hands in his pockets while he walked against the wind, back toward his apartment just down the street. He’d be venturing back into the shinobi side of town for his trip to the hospital and then the Hokage tower, so he planned to kip quickly back to his apartment and change into a clean uniform. But the sound of music spilling out the door of his second most frequented establishment in the village had him pausing yet again.

He briefly weighed his desire to make a pit stop at Shichirin against his body’s need for medical attention and his duty to file his report. He probably should have been ashamed with how quickly he made up his mind and turned into the club instead, but when his stomach was now churning in anticipation and not hunger, he really couldn’t be bothered to give a damn.

He glanced around once he stepped inside. Ten months changed nothing about Shichirin; it looked exactly the same, almost as familiar as home. The floor by the bar was still perpetually sticky and the darkness of the club not only served to enhance the music but also conveniently hide the fact that the place was long overdue for a deep clean. But Kakashi liked the place - it held fond memories of the many nights he spent high as a kite and dancing with friends. And he liked the kind of clientele the place attracted and was quite well acquainted with the back rooms.

The club was located within the civilian entertainment district. Nearby were several hotels and a large conference centre so it tended to attract a lot of out-of-town visitors curious about the nightlife that Konoha had to offer. Visitors knew Konoha was the largest shinobi village in all five great nations; most visitors to Konoha were naturally quite curious about shinobi and Shichirin advertised itself as the most popular night club in the Village Hidden in the Leaf. To be honest, it was a tourist trap. While the club  _ was  _ popular and packed on most nights of the week, what out-of-towners didn’t know was that it was frequented mostly by other foreign civilians. Leaf shinobi prefered the clubs across town where IDs weren’t checked, drinks weren’t taxed, and weapons were permitted.

But Kakashi, who preferred to keep his private business out of the Konoha grapevines, was more than happy to grace the club and its touristy patrons with his shinobi presence. He was already known by several infamous titles but if he could pick one most befitting of him he thought Kakashi the Tourist Trap would be quite apt.

Kakashi had rules that he strictly lived by, worked by, and played by. One such rule his friends mockingly dubbed ‘Don’t Fuck Konoha’ because Kakashi didn’t get involved with anyone from Konoha, so a club filled with foreign women was perfect for him.

Kakashi ordered a club soda from the bar, mostly to rinse the taste of uneaten oden out of his mouth, but set it down after a few sips in case it upset his stomach again. He scanned the crowd of unfamiliar faces and it didn’t take long for him to catch someone’s curious eye. The woman looked at him, cautious but interested; she was probably taking in the scar over his eye and assessing the mask stretched over his face. He was taking in the tight black tank top she wore with the word “Bridesmaid” printed across the front in gold cursive letters, announcing that she was here for an out-of-town bachelorette party.

She realized he’d caught her staring and started looking away in embarrassment, but then Kakashi smiled. His appearance - tall, broad and scarred - looked intimidating, but his smile looked inviting. She shyly approached, intrigued, her eyes darting between his mismatched eyes and masked lips.

“Are you from around here?” she asked.

“Born and raised in Konoha,” he replied. “How about you?”

“It’s my first time this far from home. I’m from a village called Fuma.”

“Oh I’ve been. Delicious yaki mochi,” Kakashi replied. It wasn’t that far at all, located in the Land of Rice just a couple days north of Konoha. Well, a couple days for a shinobi to sprint, chakra-enhanced. 

She looked pleased that he knew about her hometown’s local delicacy. And she was curious about  _ his  _ hometown’s local specialty. “Are you a…”- her eyes darted down to look at his mask again and hesitated briefly to see if he’d fill in the blanks for her. He simply cocked his head to the side and waited patiently for her to finish her question. “Sorry, is it rude to ask if you’re a ninja?”

He smiled again. “It’s not rude but it’s supposed to be a secret-” (“Oh,” she said, a little disappointed) “-but yes,” he said, reeling her interest back in.

“I’m Yumi,” she offered. “What’s your name?”

“Also supposed to be a secret,” he teased, “but it’s Kakashi.” It really was supposed to be a secret - afterall, anonymity was supposed to be one of the greatest assets for a ninja. But Kakashi’s name was already in bingo books across the continent so what was the harm in a harmless civilian knowing? Plus, he wanted her to know because he liked the sound of his name keened in feminine delight.

She slipped onto the bar stool next to him and he ordered her a drink. She was cute and asked questions about being a ninja - Did they really use throwing stars? Where’s the furthest he’s ever travelled to? Was it a dangerous job? - and he entertained her questions, teasing her at every chance that he could to make her blush.

Eventually she gathered enough courage to ask what was under his mask.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” he suggested playfully, quirking an eyebrow up at her.

“You mean…?” she lifted one hesitant hand to his face. He didn’t answer her unfinished question but lifted his eyebrows encouragingly and didn’t stop her when she curled her fingers over the edge of his mask and pulled it down. Her eyes drank in the full length of the scar that ran down his face, the straight point of his nose, and the shape of his lips. She unconsciously licked her lips, and Kakashi appreciated the sight of her pink tongue darting out between plump lips. She looked really kissable.

“You have a really cute mouth,” she complimented.

“I’m pretty good with it too. Want me to show you?”

Her eyes flicked back up to his eyes, now noticing the heat in his gaze. She took in his full appearance and apparently liked what she saw because she slipped off her barstool and stepped closer to stand in between his knees. Her tongue wetted her lips again before she closed their distance, pressing her mouth against his. He let her explore his lips, letting her roll her mouth against his once, twice, before his passivity wore out and he kissed her back firmly, hungrily, his desire to dominate surging forward and taking over; Kakashi was only laid back and lazy until he wasn’t.

She moaned, parting her lips and granting him access. Kakashi slowly rose from his seat, using his height as leverage to delve his tongue into her mouth. He pressed her back against the bar and tipped her head so their lips could slant perfectly together, relishing in the taste of her alcohol, chapstick and spit.

He could feel her curiosity transform into desire when she looped her arms around his neck to draw him closer and then become lust when she started wantonly pressing her body up against his. Her hips rolled against his, and then her knee rose to bracket his thigh so she could roll her core more firmly against him. Her body felt so soft and warm even through their layers of clothing.

“Should we go somewhere more private?” he suggested, pointedly looking around them. No one seemed to be upset by their explicit display but he really wanted to get her undressed and it would probably get him banned from his favourite club if he dropped her panties on top of the bar.

“Um…” She was breathless and befuddled as she tried to process his question. “I don’t… Can we stay here? I hear there are rooms in the back,” she eventually managed to reply.

“That sounds perfect.” The back rooms of Shichirin was where he bedded most of his women; he almost never took anyone home.

He led her by the hand through the crowded dance floor, toward the familiar back rooms. The beefy man guarding the doors of the various rooms recognized him by sight - knew Kakashi was always good for a nice tip after - and let him breeze by with no hassle.

The music was still loud in here, but neither of them had been hearing the music for some time now.

Yuki- no, Yumi?- was on him again before he’d fully turned from closing the door. Her hands immediately took to exploring his body, one hand winding up to curl in his hair, the other wandering behind the broad expanse of his shoulders, down the curve of his spine, to grab briefly at his ass so she could grind against his front more firmly. Her gyrating centre found the hard length of him through the layers of his boxers and pants, her jeans and panties, and she rose on tippy toes to rub her clothed womanhood across his length.

He appreciated her eagerness and rewarded her by gripping both hands under her ass and lifting her so she could wrap her legs around him and align their clothed sexes at the proper height. When she rolled her hips against him now she moaned, finding delicious pressure against his hardness.

His mouth found hers again and he kissed and nipped at her bottom lip as her breathy sounds of desire ghosted over his face. Her round ass filled his palms and he kneaded the firm globes, already imagining how lovely they would look bouncing for him.

He walked them toward the padded pleather surface that functioned as a bed in these rooms. There were no pillows or sheets so it was less of a bed and more of a no-frills fuck surface. Unlike the rest of the grimey club, however, these were meticulously cleaned between patrons and Kakashi was always happy to leave a hefty sum for the poor guy that had to wipe up after him.

He kneeled on the edge of the surface and laid her down on it. His body chased after hers and his mouth quickly found her mouth again, before moving to press kisses across her throat, down her neck, and the expanse of chest that her tank top left exposed. He hooked his hand under the hem of her shirt and tugged it up, slipping it over her head to expose the womanly parts of her chest that he liked so very much. He appreciated the way her lacy lavender bra shaped her breasts and pressed them together for a moment before he reached behind her to unclasp it and toss it out of the way.

He dragged his tongue down the centre of her bosom. Her perfume and scented lotion tasted bitter, but beneath that, his keen senses could taste her salt and the flavour of her essence. She tossed her head back against the black pleather and both hands found tendrils of his hair to grip onto, and she used her new handholds to guide him over to her breasts, silently ordering him to lavish her there. Kakashi, being the perfect soldier that he was, immediately complied.

He sucked in a mouthful of her soft breast, leaving an angry red mark on the creamy skin before he traded the soft skin for a delicate nipple. He sucked it more gently, lapping his tongue over the hardening nub and nipping at it gently.

The warmth of her flesh, softness of her breasts, taste of her body - it had been too long since he last indulged and he was planning on drowning himself in her tonight.

Eight months on a mission that ended miserably when his cover was blown and he was captured, six weeks of torture where they had repeatedly broken and mended him only to break him again, two weeks of jailbreak and harsh travel with his internal compass pointed firmly towards  _ home _ \- and never once did he pray to a god he didn’t believe in but he would worship this goddess tonight.

The smell of her arousal soaking through her pants had him dizzy with desire. Mouth still firmly affixed to her breasts, his hands reached down to unbutton and unzip her jeans. They were skin tight, however, and he no longer had the patience to slowly peel them off. He pulled off her nipple with a wet pop and stood back so he could yank her pants down in one firm tug. She gasped, trying her best to not be yanked off the bed with the force of his pull. Her panties and heeled shoes all fell to the floor with her jeans and then she was sprawled gloriously naked for him.

“Why are  _ you  _ still wearing clothes?” she said, pouting slightly. He didn’t care to put on much of a show, but she still thoroughly enjoyed the reveal of his muscled body and proud cock springing free of his pants as he undressed and dropped his clothes next to hers on the floor.

He knelt between her legs, spreading them and throwing them over his shoulders. His hands gripped the curves and dips of her waist and then dragged her down the length of the bed toward him, until her ass was half-hanging over the edge.

She gasped and cried out when he flattened his tongue over her expanse of her sex and licked her from perineum to clit. His taste buds were flooded with her flavour, her unique and intoxicating taste making his head spin. Her thighs involuntarily tried to clamp shut but his forearms firmly pressed against them kept her wedged open for his mouth to explore to his heart’s content. He circled the tip of his tongue round and around her clit, making her legs tremble and hips buck upon every pass of his slick muscle over her sensitive bud. His tongue would dip into her slit every so often to collect the juices that flowed freely for him to drink.

“Oh my god,  _ Kakashi _ , you really are good with your mouth.”

He hummed, pleased with her compliment, and tried again to wrack his brain for her name. He was nearly confident it was Yumi but not confident enough to test it out on his tongue. He didn’t want to possibly jeopardize the rest of what was shaping up to be a very promising evening.

She continued to speak praises and moan his name as her body trembled, threatening to shake itself apart. He enjoyed the challenge of slowly edging her to her peak while testing his own self-restraint as every sound, smell and taste made his cock throb insistently with impatience.

Her thighs, now no longer desiring to close herself off to his relentless pursuit of her pleasure, were now spread wantonly open. His hands, now free to travel and explore, smoothed over her belly, relishing the smallness of her body under the wide spread of his hands. His fingers caressed the sharp juts of her hip bones before tracing along the lines of her V that pointed to her sex. He ran one fingertip through her slit and she started begging for him to touch her inside.

“Yes,” she breathed, sighing at the feeling of his finger sliding in. When it pulled back, it was rejoined a moment later by a second finger. The friction was delicious and she moaned, “Give me your cock.”

Kakashi closed his eyes, trying to block out the primal desire that tore through him at those words. His cock was so fucking hard and it was hard enough to resist ramming right into her tight heat without her begging him for it. He inhaled deeply to refocus his attention on her clit cradled between his lips. He was determined to bring her to the edge of orgasm and then fucking shove her off that cliff until she was creaming around his fingers. He worked his fingers in and out of her, matching the patient pace his tongue set around her sensitive nub.

The wet sounds of his fingers pumping and curling into her were borderline obscene and matched the vulgarity of the words that were now tumbling from her mouth. “Ohh fuck, keep going, keep goingkeepgoing please! Don’t stop! Fuck yesss…!” Her curses broke off into a silent scream of pleasure. Her head thudded heavily against the padded pleather as she threw her head back in bliss.

Her orgasm pulsed rhymically around his fingers buried deep in her. Kakashi groaned at the incredible tightness but resolutely continued to gently swirl his tongue around her bud through the length of her climax. He took in the sights, smells and sounds of her orgasm drinking it in like the sex starved man that he was.

She had only just started coming down from her climax when he was pressing into her. In an unbelievable show of speed, he had fished a condom out of his discarded pant pocket, opened and rolled it down the length of his dick, and replaced his fingers with it before she even realized he’d moved. By the time she processed what was happening he was already breaching her. She moaned, eyes rolling back and mouth parting into an ‘o’, face crumpling in ecstasy again.

Kakashi hissed in pleasure. His eyes also threatened to close and roll up heavenward but he forced them to openly drink in the sight of  _ her _ instead.

Gods, he loved the sight of a woman being driven open by his cock. They always made it look  _ so good _ , like it was the most incredible and overwhelming feeling. He’d never truly know the feeling for himself so all he could do was watch closely; the intense and complex emotions expressing across her features would be the closest he could ever come to experiencing it for himself.

He pressed in slowly, savouring every expression that flitted across her face. Finally when he was fully seated in her, she exhaled in a long shuddering moan and reached down to stroke him across his lower abdomen, skimming her fingertips across the silver hairs there reverently, as if silently worshipping his body for delivering to her the pleasure that only a man’s body could give.

“You feel so good inside,” she moaned, arms and legs wrapping around him to bring their bodies closer.

Kakashi dipped his head to press a kiss to her cheek to thank her silently for giving him this little taste of heaven. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck and squeezed his eyes closed then, relishing in the feeling of being hugged inside her hot womanhood. The warmth of her body, softness of her breasts pressed to his chest and the taste of her sex lingering on his tongue made his head swim. He rocked slowly into her but her heels digging into his ass urged him to go faster.

He let her set the pace - hard and fast - and then once he was fucking her the way she craved her insistent heels fell away and her body submitted to him again. Her beautiful tits bounced for him, one still sporting an angry red mark where he had latched onto earlier.

Fuck, it had been so long and he wouldn’t last long at this pace. He fought against the tingling in his spine and tightening in his scrotum, wanting to savour this for as long as he could. He reached a hand down, scooping the slick leaking from her core and down her perineum with his fingers, and then wedged it between them, easily finding her swollen clit. He spread her wetness over the nub in circles that had her flexing her thighs and clenching her sex around him. The arching and writhing of her hips threatened to break his rhythm, so he flattened himself over her body, pinning her heavily under his weight.

She moaned praises to him: that he was big and amazing, that he filled her up so good. He pressed a line of kisses up the smooth curve of her neck. Her words spread a heat over him, compelling him to fuck her harder, working her body further open for him because she was still so damn tight. She vocalized every movement, his body fucking the cries out of her throat. “ _ Kakashi…! _ ” She keened loudly, unable to do much else but tremble under him and be subjected to his pleasurable assault.

He groaned at the sound of his name being spoken in rapture. Fuck he was too close. He should really slow down if he wanted to bring her off with him but it had been too long and his body was too desperate for release. “I’m gonna cum,” he groaned in warning, hips starting to buck a wild rhythm. She moaned encouragingly and pressed kisses to his shoulder.

He sucked in a sharp breath as the first contractions of orgasm overtook him. Hot sweat and heat spread quickly across his skin as his body was flooded by endorphins.  _ This was heaven _ was the last thought that passed his mind before his brain systematically shut down and he was allowed glorious seconds of thoughtless pleasure before he was brought back to the land of the living.

He blinked away the stars that had taken over his vision, feeling like it was taking him a little longer than usual to come back to his senses. She was so sweet, pressing kisses to his neck and shoulder while she soothed a hand up and down his sweaty back. He braced himself on his knees and forearms to take his weight off of her. “Sorry,” he apologized for crushing her under him.

She smiled and he leaned down to kiss her gently, body still thrumming with deep satisfaction. “This was amazing,” she said.

“Was?” he teased. “I’m not finished with you yet.” Then he proceeded to suck and kiss his way down her body, softening cock slipping out of her as he went. He replaced it with his mouth and fingers again and enjoyed the way her breathless giggles turned into cries of pleasure again.

Aoba sighed and Genma scoffed in disbelief after Kakashi disappeared back out the door.

“Can you believe the guy? Ten months of radio silence and he turns up out of the blue with nothing more than a  _ hello _ ?” Genma complained.

Aoba shook his head in defeat. “It was confidential so I didn’t say anything at the time but now that he’s back… Well, a month ago I was actually sent on a mission to retrieve him.” I picked up on how Aoba had said  _ retrieve _ , as in a body. Not rescue or extract or support.

Raido chuckled. “He walks out of the grave and returns from the dead like it’s nothing. Just another Thursday.”

We moved back onto the topic of how Raido claims he also nearly lost his life earlier that week while we finished our drinks. “The Hokage has an insanely powerful throwing arm,” he was saying. “I swear to god, if I didn’t dodge that stapler in the nick of time, I would have been brained. Not even the most skilled medics would have been able to put my grey matter back together.”

Aoba, who normally bickered and disagreed with Raido’s versions of stories, chuckled and nodded. “That stapler  _ did _ go straight through the door, and then out the  _ window  _ across the hallway from the Hokage’s office.”

I laughed again at their surprisingly accurate imitations of Tsunade-shishou, the umeshu I was drinking only helping to fuel my uncontrollable giggles.

Eventually, our cups were empty and the hour became quite late.

“Shichirin?” Aoba suggested and Genma and Raido nodded in easy agreement.

I bid the others goodbye as we parted ways at the door. I went home to get a restful night of sleep like the responsible med-nin-in-training I was, and the boys gallivanted off to Shichirin to get up to no good.

Raido, Genma and Aoba were just nearing the club’s doors when Kakashi stepped out. Their eyes met and Genma gaped, pointing an accusatory finger at the other man, clearly challenging his priorities of ditching his friends to get laid. Kakashi could only shrug and grin, shameless and unapologetic. 


End file.
